A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step

I’m delighted and hugely honoured to have been invited to speak at today’s event.

I’m also very humbled to be here in the presence of so many fantastic women who have achieved so highly in their sports – much may have been made recently of my election as the first woman vice-chairman of Cork GAA, but really that’s a very minor achievement compared to the heights reached by today’s award winners.

In terms of my own personal development, there is no doubt that my involvement with the GAA has brought huge benefits. All my life, I’ve suffered from what has been at times crippling shyness, and coupled with an introverted personality, my involvement in sports administration has forced me out of my comfort zone and helped me to conquer this to some degree. At all the difficult times in my life, I’ve had to pick myself up and keep going because there was a match to go to or a meeting to attend, and of course, whether as a player or a fan, nothing beats that winning feeling.